Yorkshire Sport Foundation are pleased to welcome Sam Keighley to the team as Strategic Director.
Sam will be working with partners across all sectors in the nine districts to identify a network of physical activity champions. These will enable and encourage more people to be more active, more often, particularly those less likely to be active.
“One of the things that really excites me is that it’ll give me the opportunity to work at a strategic level across South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. It’s a brilliant opportunity not just to learn, but to contribute to other areas.
“I’m interested in working with partners from health, education, regeneration – I think we face similar challenges in helping people.
“The thing that gets me out of bed in the morning is knowing that I am going to help somebody that wouldn’t have got help if I hadn’t been there.”
The role was created through the Extended Workforce initiative between Sport England and Yorkshire Sport Foundation, part of a national pilot to explore better working with partners. The aim is for physical activity and sport to drive economic growth, health and wellbeing improvements and increased community resilience.
Sam worked in sports facility management and sports development in the West Midlands, North West and West Yorkshire for over a decade. She then spent nearly 20 years leading community regeneration, renewal and health and wellbeing programmes, most recently running a successful social enterprise in Manningham, Bradford.
She has worked extensively in the voluntary and public sectors, run her own business, and has a wealth of experience of working with and in diverse communities – using her knowledge of area-based working to influence decision makers.
Meet Sam: https://youtu.be/hVkIKI9hb54 Team profile: Sam Keighley ENDSWritten by Yorkshire Sport Foundation